(The following standards are a compilation/adaptation from Rogue Community, Chemeketa Community and Portland Community Colleges)

Nurses must possess the physical and cognitive capacity, emotional stability, and communication skills essential for the delivery of safe, effective nursing care.  Students admitted to Nursing Assistant 101, with or without accommodation, must be able to meet the following academic and technical standards (essential functions).

1. Visual acuity sufficient to gather data on clients and their environments and to provide appropriate care.

   Examples of relevant activities:

   • Detect changes in skin color or condition
   • Collect data from recording equipment and measurement devices used in client care
   • Detect a fire in a client area and initiate emergency action


2. Hearing abilitysufficient to gather data on clients and their environments and to provide appropriate care.

   Examples of relevant activities:

   • Detect sounds related to bodily functions using a stethoscope
   • Detect audible alarms e.g. monitors, fire alarms, call bells
   • Communicate clearly in telephone conversations
   • Communicate effectively with clients and with other members of the healthcare team in a variety of settings, including isolation and the operating room where healthcare team members are often wearing masks and there is background noise.


3. Olfactory ability sufficient to gather data on clients and their environments and to provide appropriate care.

   Examples of relevant activities:

   • Detect odors of bodily fluids or spoiled foods
   • Detect smoke from burning materials


4. Tactile ability sufficient to collect data on clients and their environments and to provide appropriate care.

   Examples of relevant activities:

   • Detect changes in skin temperature
   • Detect unsafe temperature levels in heat-producing devices used in client care
   
   
5. Fine motor skills sufficient to perform psychomotor skills integral to client care.

   Examples of relevant activities:

• Accurately place and maintain position of stethoscope for detecting blood pressure sounds
• Manipulate small equipment and containers, such as packaged juice, foil pouches, hearing aide batteries.


6. Strength and mobility sufficient to perform client care activities and emergency procedures.

   Examples of relevant activities:

• Safely transfer clients in and out of bed and assist them with ambulation using appropriate devices e.g. a gait belt to prevent client falls
• Safely control the fall of a client if it occurs
• Lift or move clients or objects, pull or push objects, weighing 35 pounds or more
• Turn and position clients as needed to prevent complications due to bed rest
• Accurately read the volumes and empty body fluid collection devices hung or placed below bed level
• Roll up crank style beds
• Reach to shoulder or higher level
• Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation


7. Physical endurancesufficient to complete assigned periods of clinical practice (e.g. 8 hour shifts, days, evenings, or weekends) with acceptable speed (an acceptable speed of function is reflected by ability to carry out the usual client care assignment appropriate to a particular point in the course within the allotted clinical time) while caring for 4-6 clients per shift.


8. Ability to speak, comprehend, read, and write in Englishat a level that meets the need for accurate, clear, and effective communication with individuals, families, and groups respecting social, cultural and spiritual diversity.

   Examples of relevant activities:

   • Give clear oral reports
   • Read watches with second hands
   • Read graphs
   • Negotiate interpersonal conflict
   • Read and understand English printed documents
   • Write legibly in English in client charts
   
   
9. Emotional stability to function effectively under stress, to adapt to changing situations, to demonstrate honesty and integrity, and to follow through on assigned client care responsibilities.

   Examples of relevant activities:

   • Deal with the unexpected e.g. frequently changing client status
   • Handle strong emotions
   • Be flexible with changing environments and schedules in both class and clinical settings


10. Cognitive ability to collect, analyze, and integrate information and knowledge to make clinical judgments (with acceptable speed, as defined in #7 above) that promote client outcomes.

Examples of relevant activities:

• Respond appropriately in emergency situations with sustained attention
• Demonstrate skills of recall using both long and short term memory


11. Calculation ability to estimate, add, subtract, multiply, and use fractions without the use of a calculator.
    
    

    Examples of relevant activities:

• Demonstrate skill of estimating fluid and solid food intake
• Add total amounts of fluid intake (total milliliters) over a period of time
• Estimate the fraction/portion of liquid ingested from given containers of known size and multiply the fraction times the total amount to determine intake